Washing machine

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a washing machine. The washing machine includes a drum unit  10 , wherein a drum  11  in which the washing is contained and that is rotated, an inflow line  12  for introducing water into the drum  11  and an outflow line  13  for discharging water therein are connected to the drum unit  10 ; a water supply unit  20  including a water tank  21  for storing a certain amount of water therein, a first forced pump  22  for forcibly sending the water of the water tank  21 , a heat exchanger  23  for cooling the forcibly sent water, a first valve V 1  for turning on/off the connection to the inflow line  12 , and a second valve V 2  disposed between a line between the heat exchanger  23  and the first valve V 1  and the water tank  21 , wherein the second valve V 2  is turned on/off so that the water sent from the water tank  21  circulates to the water tank  21 ; a water circulation unit  30  including a second forced pump  32  for forcibly sending the water discharged from the outflow line  13 , and a check valve  33  for making the water sent from the second forced pump  32  flow toward the inflow line  12  only; and a drain valve  40  for discharging the water discharged from the outflow line  13.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a washing machine capable of cleaning a high quality texture such as a woolen fabric or linen using water without damaging the texture.

2. Related Prior Art

Textiles that cannot be washed at home, for example, high quality clothes made of woolen fabrics or linen are usually experienced by dry cleaning at the laundry. The dry cleaning is to wash a high quality cloth for which the water laundry cannot be performed. Such a dry cleaning has been widely used since it can prevent damage such as shrinkage or deformation of clothes. Usually, the dry cleaning is performed using a solvent or a volatile solvent such as perchloroethylene.

However, the dry cleaning has problems such as a danger of a fire, air pollution due to natural evaporation, a danger of a carcinogenesis due to inhalation through a respiratory organ and soil pollution because the volatile solvent is used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a washing machine wherein damage such as shrinkage or deformation of a texture is prevented even if water not a volatile solvent is used.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine capable of effectively increasing the washing capability, wherein a molecule cluster of water is resolved into small pieces by means of electrolysis, a detergent is easily resolved and a mixture of water and a detergent is well infiltrated into a fibrous tissue of a texture.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a washing machine wherein clusters of water molecules are made small by cooling water of a water tank and shrinkage or deformation of a texture having a fine fibrous tissue is prevented.

To achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is provided a washing machine, comprising a drum unit 10, wherein a drum 11 for containing the washing which rotates, an inflow line 12 for introducing water into the drum 11 and an outflow line 13 for discharging water therein are connected to the drum unit 10; a water supply unit 20 for storing water to be supplied to the drum unit 10 therein, wherein the water supply unit is connected to the inflow line 12; a water circulation unit 30 for circulating the water supplied to the drum unit 10 toward the drum unit 10 again, wherein the water circulation unit is connected to the inflow line 12 and the outflow line 13; and a drain valve 40 for discharging the water discharged from the outflow line 13, wherein the water supply unit 20 includes a water tank 21 for storing a certain amount of water therein, a first forced pump 22 for forcibly sending the water of the water tank 21, a heat exchanger 23 for cooling the forcibly sent water, a first valve V1 for turning on/off the connection to the inflow line 12, and a second valve V2 disposed between a line between the heat exchanger 23 and the first valve V1 and the water tank 21, wherein the second valve V2 is turned on/off so that the water sent from the water tank 21 circulates to the water tank 21, and wherein the water circulation unit 30 includes a second forced pump 32 for forcibly sending the water discharged from the outflow line 13, and a check valve 33 for allowing the water sent from the second forced pump 32 to flow toward the inflow line 12 only.

In the above, the water supply unit 20 further comprises an electrolysis device 24 disposed within the water tank 21, for electrolyzing the water.

Meanwhile, the inflow line 12 is directly connected to a sub inflow line 12′ connected to water pipes.

Furthermore, the water circulation unit 30 is connected to a detergent supply unit 50 for supplying a detergent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an electrolysis device applied to the water tank shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a state where a rapid water supplement tank is connected to the water tank shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows how the water supply unit in FIG. 1 operates.

FIG. 5 shows how the water circulation unit in FIG. 1 operates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will now be described in detail in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a washing machine according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an electrolysis device applied to the water tank shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 shows a state where a rapid water supplement tank is connected to the water tank shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 shows how the water supply unit in FIG. 1 operates, and FIG. 5 shows how the water circulation unit in FIG. 1 operates.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, the washing machine according to the present invention includes a drum unit 10 having a drum 11 for containing the washing, which rotates, a water supply unit 20 for supplying water to the drum unit 10, a water circulation unit 30 for circulating water discharged from the drum unit 10 and supplying the water to the drum unit 10 again, a drain valve 40 for discharging the water discharged from the drum unit 10, and a detergent supply unit 50 for supplying a detergent to the water circulation unit 30.

An inflow line 12 for introducing water into the drum 11 and an outflow line 13 for discharging the received water are connected to the drum unit 10.

The water supply unit 20 is connected to the inflow line 12 in order to supply water to the drum unit 10. Such a water supply unit 20 includes a water tank 21 for storing a certain amount of water therein, a first forced pump 22 for forcibly sending the water of the water tank 21, a heat exchanger 23 for cooling the forcibly sent water, a first valve V1 for turning on/off the connection to the inflow line 12, a second valve V2 disposed between a line between the heat exchanger 23 and the first valve V1 and the water tank 21, wherein the second valve V2 is turned on/off so that the water from the water tank 21 can be circulated toward the water tank 21, and an electrolysis device 24 for electrolyzing the water stored in the water tank 21.

The water tank 21 contains water therein, which is supplied from an external water pipe 21 a. The water tank 21 has a sensor (not shown). The sensor generates a predetermined signal when the tank 21 is filled with a predetermined amount of water. The signal is used to turn off a third valve V3 connected to the water pipe 21 a.

The heat exchanger 23 may have a variety of structures such as a structure having a passage along which water moves, and a structure in which a line along which water moves is surrounded. The heat exchanger functions to cool the water sent from the first forced pump 22 to a predetermined temperature. In this embodiment, the heat exchanger 23 is organically coupled to a known cooling system having an evaporation pipe, a compressor and a condenser. The cooling system is well known in the art and thus will not be described in detail.

The electrolysis device 24 includes a first electrode 24 a and a second electrode 24 b to both of which a DC is applied. The first electrode 24 a and the second electrode 24 b have a structure in which they are spaced by a predetermined distance by means of insulators 24 c. The construction of the electrolysis device 24 is well known in the art.

The electrolysis device 24 serves to not only remove a microorganism such as a colon bacillus, a virus and Algae, which are included in water in the process of electrolyzing water, but also make small molecule clusters of water, so that a detergent can be easily resolved. Furthermore, the electrolysis device 24 allows water into which a detergent is resolved to be infiltrated deeply into the fibrous tissue of the texture, increasing the cleaning capability.

Water forms a hydrogen combination among molecules to form a group of water molecules of a dynamic equilibrium state called a cluster. The motion speed of the cluster is high when the cluster is small and the cluster will be infiltrated deeply into the fibrous tissue of the texture as the motion speed of the cluster becomes high. The electrolysis device increases the motion speed by making the cluster small.

Meanwhile, in order to make the cluster small, a method for lowering a temperature can be used in addition to the electrolysis. In the present invention, the size of the cluster is made small as the heat exchanger 23 lowers a temperature of water contained in the water tank 21. A temperature that can make the size of the cluster small is in a range of 2° C. to 12° C. In this embodiment, the temperature is in a range of 4° C. to 8° C.

The water tank 21 is connected to the rapid water supplement tank 25, as shown in FIG. 3. The rapid water supplement tank 25 contains water of a temperature, which is lower than that of water contained in the water tank 21. The water stored in the rapid water supplement tank 25 is used when a temperature of water to be used upon a laundry is lower than a temperature of water stored in the water tank 21. In other words, the temperature of the water stored in the water tank is rapidly lowered by supplementing water of a lower temperature to the water tank 21. To this end, the rapid water supplement tank 25 is connected to the first forced pump 22 through a fourth valve V4 and to the water tank 21 through a fifth valve V5. Through this structure, if the fourth valve V4 is turned on (opened), water that is cooled by the heat exchanger 23 is supplemented to the rapid water supplement tank 25. If the fifth valve V5 is turned on, the cooled water contained in the rapid water supplement tank 25 is supplied to the water tank 21.

The water circulation unit 30 serves to circulate water supplied to the drum unit 10 toward the drum unit 10 again and is connected to the inflow line 12 and the outflow line 13. The water circulation unit 30 includes a second forced pump 32 for forcibly sending water discharged from the outflow line 13, and a check valve 33 for allowing the water from the second forced pump 32 to flow toward the inflow line 12 only. At this time, the water circulation unit 30 may include a trap 34 for removing naps occurring from the washing, in the process wherein water is circulated while the laundry proceeds.

The drain valve 40 serves to discharge water toward the outside via the water circulation unit 30.

The inflow line 12 may be connected to a sub inflow line 12′ connected to external water pipes. If a texture to be washed is a texture that can be water-washed, tap water introduced through the sub inflow line 12′ can be directly used for the laundry.

Furthermore, a plurality of temperature sensor S for detecting a temperature are connected to lines that connect the aforementioned components. These sensors serve to detect a temperature of water, which circulates within the washing machine. Signals generated from the sensors can be used as signals for controlling the components. The detergent supply unit 50 has detergent tubes for containing various kinds of detergents. Each detergent tube includes sub valves V6, V7, V8 and V9. Also, the line between the first forced pump 22 and the heat exchanger 23 is connected to the detergent supply unit 50 via a tenth valve V10. Thus, if the tenth valve V10 is opened, the detergent of the detergent supply unit 50 is supplied. At this time, a predetermined detergent can be supplied by turning on a predetermined sub valve.

The operation of the washing machine constructed above will now be described.

If the washing to be cleaned is a high quality texture, a temperature of water must be low in order to prevent damage such as shrinkage or deformation of the texture. It is therefore required that cooled water be secured in advance before the laundry. To this end, as shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the first valve V1 is turned off (shut) and the second valve V2 is turned on (opened) so that water is prevented to flow toward the inflow line 12, the first forced pump 22 and the cooling system are driven to cool the water via the heat exchanger 23. The water from the water tank 21 is then cooled via the heat exchanger 23 and is introduced into the water tank 21, while moving along the arrow direction. As time goes, the water within the water tank 21 is cooled down to a predetermined temperature. Furthermore, in order for the water to deeply infiltrate into a texture fiber, the cluster must be small. For this purpose, the electrolysis device 24 is driven. The tenth valve V10 is opened so that a detergent is supplied to the line between the first forced pump 22 and the heat exchanger 23.

If the above condition is completed, the second valve V2 is shut and the first valve V1 is opened so that the water stored in the water tank 21 is introduced into the drum unit 10. If sufficient water is supplied to the drum unit 10, the first valve V1 is shut so that the water of the water tank 21 is not further supplied to the drum unit 10.

Next, in order to perform the laundry, the drum unit 10 and the water circulation unit 30 are driven. In other words, the drum unit 10 is driven so that the drum 11 for containing the washing rotates. The second forced pump 32 is driven so that the water discharged to the outflow line 13 of the drum unit 10 is circulated toward the inside of the drum unit 10 via the check valve 33 and the inflow line 12. The water circulated toward the inside of the drum unit 10 is strongly sprayed from an upper side within the drum 11 that rotates to a lower side thereof. The washing is turned over as the drum 11 rotates. Furthermore, the washing is well washed by means of water that is strongly sprayed from the inside of the drum. At this time, the trap 34 disposed in the water circulation unit serves to remove naps occurring from the washing.

If the laundry is finished, the operation of the water circulation unit 30 is stopped and the drain valve 40 is turned on (opened). The water within the drum unit 10 is then discharged to the outside through the drain valve 40.

As the above process is repeatedly performed, the laundry is performed.

According to the present invention described above, as a heat exchanger and an electrolysis device are used, not only a temperature of water is lowered, but also a molecule cluster of water is made small. Further, the solubility with a detergent cam be increased and water containing the detergent can be infiltrated deeply into a fibrous tissue of a texture. Accordingly, it is possible to wash a high-quality cloth for which a water laundry is impossible but a dry cleaning is possible. Furthermore, as the laundry is performed using cooled water, it is possible to prevent shrinkage or deformation of a texture.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, a solvent or a solvent having a strong volatility such as perchloroethylene as in a conventional dry cleaning is not used. It is therefore possible to solve problems such as a danger of a fire, air pollution due to natural evaporation, a danger of a carcinogenesis due to inhalation through a respiratory organ and soil pollution.

In addition, as electrolysis is employed, fine germs that may exist in water stored in a water tank are removed. Accordingly, the present invention has an effect that it can prevent fine germs from remaining in the washing after the laundry.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. 

1. A washing machine, comprising: a drum unit 10, wherein a drum 11 for containing the washing which rotates, an inflow line 12 for introducing water into the drum 11 and an outflow line 13 for discharging water therein are connected to the drum unit 10, a water supply unit 20 for storing water to be supplied to the drum unit 10 therein, wherein the water supply unit is connected to the inflow line 12, a water circulation unit 30 for circulating the water supplied to the drum unit 10 toward the drum unit 10 again, wherein the water circulation unit is connected to the inflow line 12 and the outflow line 13, and a drain valve 40 for discharging the water discharged from the outflow line 13, wherein the water supply unit 20 comprises a water tank 21 for storing a certain amount of water therein, a first forced pump 22 for forcibly sending the water of the water tank 21, a heat exchanger 23 for cooling the forcibly sent water, a first valve V1 for turning on/off the connection to the inflow line 12, a second valve V2 disposed between a line between the heat exchanger 23 and the first valve V1 and the water tank 21, wherein the second valve V2 is turned on/off so that the water sent from the water tank 21 is circulated toward the water tank 21, and an electrolysis device 24 for electrolyzing the water contained in the water tank 21, and the water circulation unit 30 comprises a second forced pump 32 for forcibly sending the water discharged from the outflow line 13, and a check valve 33 for allowing the water sent from the second forced pump 32 to flow toward the inflow line 12 only.
 2. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water supply unit 20 further comprises an electrolysis device 24 disposed in the water tank 21, for electrolyzing the water.
 3. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inflow line 12 is directly connected to a sub inflow line 12′ connected to water pipes.
 4. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the water circulation unit 30 is connected to a detergent supply unit 50 for supplying a detergent.
 5. The washing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger 23 of the water supply unit 20 is a means for cooling water within the water tank 21 to 4° C. to 8° C. in order to make a cluster of a molecule small and prevent shrinkage or deformation of a texture having a fine fibrous tissue.
 6. The washing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the electrolysis device 24 is a means for increasing the cleaning capability by making a mixture of water and a detergent uniform and rapidly infiltrated into a fibrous tissue of a texture in the drum 11 and for preventing shrinkage or deformation of the fibrous tissue by keeping constant the amount of water and temperature among fibrous tissues. 